The Game Begins
by Tsukiyomaru
Summary: Prequel to Our War Game! Thanatos has a dream to help the students of Duel Academy become the best they can be. Unfortunately he's facing a few problems first like enemies, friends, and even getting in!Read and review please, but direct flames at Thanatos
1. Chapter 1

This is the prequel of _Our War Game _which is written by Arcana Force XIII Thanatos. He, my friends, and I are the main characters of this story but I do not plan on making anyone too powerful.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 1: Good Luck or Bad Luck, the Entrance Exam!

A young man walked into the large room that was filling with wannabe students. Some of them were already down in one of the sectioned off squares below the stands. The young man watched over some of the duels, not really interested in anyone particular. He leaned over the railing and watched a struggling young man duel but on his next turn he managed to switch everything around and win.

"Shadow Templar, end this once and for all!"

"Not bad." The young man said to himself, brushing aside his long light brown bangs out of his right eye. "I wonder how much longer it will be until my exam duel comes up."

I know, I'm so excited!" another person cheered near the young man. He looked over and saw a boy the same age as him. He had pure black hair and red eyes. His face was curved up in a happy and excited grin. He wore a simple black t-shirt and jeans. On his shirt were the words "Genius by birth. Slacker by choice." "So when are you dueling?" the boy asked.

"Sirocco of the Dawn, finish him!" a student cried from below.

"In the third tier of entrants." The young man answered quietly.

"I'm dueling in the second. Once all of these guys are finished up I'll be heading on down there and kicking butt!" the boy cheered.

"Good for you." The young man answered melancholically.

"Solar Flare Dragon, burn off the rest of his Life Points!" a female student ordered.

"Looks like that guy wasn't as lucky." The boy said as he looked down at the duel. "I hope I don't have to go against that girl."

"Well some students were picked to help weed out the weaker entrees. If you aren't good enough to beat a Slipher Red then you can't get in." the young man answered with a shrug.

"Wow, I hope I don't have to duel an Obelisk student then." The boy said worriedly. He blinked, suddenly realizing something important. He held his hand out to the young man and smiled widely. "People call me Thanatos. It's nice to meet you." The young man looked at the outstretched hand and sighed a little bit.

"Tsukiyomaru." He answered as he reached out and shook the boy's hand.

"Nice to meet you. Hey, maybe we'll get into the same dorm! That'd be pretty cool huh? Or maybe even dorm mates!" Thanatos chuckled.

"That will not happen." Tsukiyomaru answered as he took out a foldable fan from his brown jacket and covered his face with it. The spread out fan had a red bird sigil on the front of it. "I intend on finishing at the top and becoming an Obelisk Blue student. It is something you can only do if you've gone to a preparatory school prior to this. Judging by your mystified attitude about everything I'm guessing you haven't so the most you can hope for will be Ra Yellow."

"Wow that was good detective work." Thanatos said in awe. "You should try helping people with a gift like that. I mean I'm sure there are plenty of students at Duel Academy that need a little extra help. Maybe some tutoring in a friendly and relaxing environment."

Tsukiyomaru watched Thanatos continue babbling on about a stupid club idea he had. He shook his head, and turned back to the duels. Thanatos didn't seem to notice that he was being ignored because he continued to ramble on. Tsukiyomaru slowly became frustrated as the boy's incessant talking refused to stop. "Thanatos shut up." He snapped as he noticed something odd.

"Why, what's wrong?" the other boy asked.

Tsukiyomaru closed his fan and pointed down to a lone student walking towards one of the duel proctor's stations. "Is he late?" Thanatos wondered.

"Yes. I thought they had a strict policy of not letting you in if you were late." Tsukiyomaru answered. He looked to who the boy was dueling and frowned. "Professor Meiga?"

"Huh? What's this about a parasitic moth?" Thanatos asked.

"The duel proctor is one of the professors at the school, Proffesor Meiga. Is that boy really expected to beat a professor?" Tsukiyomaru wondered. "I mean this sort of thing has only happened one other time between Jaden Yuki and Crowler, and that was a long time ago."

"Maybe their making an exception for this guy?" Thanatos suggested, but Tsukiyomaru put a hand up to signal him to be quiet. Tsukiyomaru wanted to see this mysterious boy duel.

"They're probably letting him since it's not quite time for the second tier of duels yet." Tsukiyomaru answered with a tone that said shut up.

"Oh look, a late little neophyte has wandered into my lab. Well, how shall we experiment on you first?" Meiga chuckled. He had platinum blond hair and wore a very tight white shirt with gloves that were so close they seemed to be a single piece of clothing. He wore baggy white pants and sat at a throne that looked like it was made of bone. One of the arms extended over and glowed, acting like a duel disk.

The late student looked rather strange as well. He had spiky white hair and piercing yellow eyes. He wore a long-sleeved black shirt and jeans. He had black gloves and shoes, and a white button up shirt over his black shirt. He smiled kindly as he activated his duel disk. "I apologize for being late, I promise when I attend your classes this year it will not happen again. My name is Haseo by the way."

Haseo: 4000

Meiga: 4000

"We shall see about that!" Meiga laughed. "I'll start by playing two cards face down and a monster face down."

"That's a good move, but I think I have something better." Haseo said as he drew a card. "I activate Painful Choice. This lets me grab five cards from my deck. You pick one of them for me to keep, and the others go to my graveyard." Haseo placed the cards on his duel disk, the holograms appearing in front of Meiga.

"I pick the middle one. At least you won't be able to play her." Meiga sneered.

"I wasn't planning on playing any of them anyway." Haseo answered as he pocketed the four cards. "I remove those four Lightsworn monsters from my graveyard to summon my Judgment Dragon (4000/4000)." Light engulfed the duelists as a large dragon covered in soft gray, cloud like fur with large angel wings appeared on the field. It's eyes glowed red as it glared down on Meiga. "Now with his ability I give up 1000 Life Points to destroy everything but him."

Haseo: 3000

Judgment dragon roared and raised it's wings. Light shone down in pillars that destroyed the hidden cards instantly, leaving Meiga stunned. "Now Judgment Dragon, destroy him." Haseo ordered. Judgement Dragon roared and let loose a large beam of light that covered Meiga completely.

Meiga: 0

"No way!" Thanatos cried in shock.

"It was a one turn kill." Tsukiyomaru said in exasperation. "He defeated a professor without even batting an eye."

"Well that was easy." Haseo said as he collected his deck. "Now who was it that I borrowed this deck from?"

"How could a little neophyte like you beat me so easily?" Meiga wondered, his eyes turning from stunned surprise to pure rage. "You little bastard! How dare you beat me, you little neophyte!"

"Well come now," Haseo said with an innocent smile. "It's not like it was all that hard."

"Wow, that guy is just asking for Meiga to kill him." Tsukiyomaru said bluntly.

"Oh man this is getting me really excited for my duel!" Thanatos cried excitedly. "See you later buddy, I'm going to go get ready and make sure my deck is at it's best!"

"Right you do that." Tsukiyomaru muttered as Thanatos zoomed off. "Weirdo." Tsukiyomaru muttered.

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"Let's both have a fun duel, but don't cry when I kick your ass!" Thanatos challenged the proctor. The proctor had brown hair and wore a teacher's obelisk blue uniform. He had green eyes and a small scar on his chin. Both player's duel disks activated and the proctor began.

"I summon my Elite Goblin Attack Force!" Proctor cried. Four armored goblin knights carrying pole-arm axes appeared on the field. The all pointed their blades at Thanatos, signaling they were ready to charge. "Now I play a card face down and end my turn."

"When a card like this is played, I know I'll end up happy with the duel." Thanatos said as he drew his card. "I'm bringing out Fortune Telling Witch Hikari (0/0)!" A small fairy wearing a yellow dress and holding a yellow staff appeared on the field in a burst of light. Tsukiyomaru, watching from the stands, nearly fell over when he saw what was in Thanatos' deck.

"That's what he's using?" he asked quietly.

"Now I play a card face down and end my turn." Thanatos finished.

"Oh man, I knew you new kids were bad but this is just pathetic." The proctor chuckled. "I summon my Goblin Attack Force (2300/0)!" Another set of goblins appeared with less armor but all of them with large clubs and axes. "Now go my Goblin Elite Attack Force, attack his Fortune Witch!" The small fairy cried as the four goblins destroyed her with their large weapons. He returned to their posts and pulled out large shields as they were forced into defense position.

Thanatos: 1700

"Now my Goblin Attack Force, take him out!" The goblins charged at Thanatos but he quickly stopped them.

"I activate my trap card, Hidden Prophecy! This card can only be activated on a turn when one of my Fortune Witches were destroyed and you try attacking my directly." The card revealed itself, depicting Hikari being covered in light and protecting a red fairy. "It let's me stop your direct attacks and summon a Fortune Witch who has one star level higher than the previously destroyed one. That means I'll play my Fortune Witch En in defense mode (0/0)!" A small explosion appeared and stopped the goblins from attacking. In the middle of the explosion was a red haired fairy with a red staff and dress.

The goblins moved into defense mode and Thanatos drew his card. "I'll summon my Fortune Telling Witch Sui (0/0)." A blue fairy appeared in a small burst of water. "Next I activate Unacceptable Results. This card let's me summon a Fortune Telling Witch whose level is one star higher than a Witch that is already here. So that means I can summon my Fortune Telling Witch An in defense mode (0/0)." This time it was a purple fairy that appeared a small smirk on her face.

"These fairies are starting to get on my nerves." The proctor said.

"Well then this will really tick you off. I activate my spell card Advance Fortune Loan. This card let's me summon a Fortune Telling Witch whose level is lower than another one's, so once again I'll use this on Sui to summon Fortune telling Witch Fu in defense mode (0/0)!" A green fairy arrived in a small tornado, a sly look on her face. The four fairies all smiled as they floated around each other.

"My move then." The proctor said as he drew a card "I summon my Goblin Decoy Squad (1000/0) and have them attack Sui!" A squad of goblins appeared with part favors and then charged at Sui. The Witch cried as the goblins overtook her and destroyed her. "Now since they destroyed a monster I can draw a new card. Now finally I activate a spell card called Goblin Wake Up Call!" a spell card appeared on the field depicting a person covered in shadows shouting into a megaphone and startling Goblin Attack Force.

Thanatos: 700

"This card puts all of my Goblin monsters in attack mode and keeps them from going into defense mode because of their effects for this turn." The proctor explained as all twelve of the Goblins got ready to attack. "Granted they still can't attack this turn, but still it works."

"I guess I'll have to end this now then." Thanatos said as he drew his card. "I activate Triple Fortune! This let's me summon a new Fortune Telling Witch from my deck. So I'll summon my final one, Fortune telling Witch Chi (0/0)!" A brown haired fairy appeared wearing large glasses that covered her eyes. "Looks like I've gained an edge over the competition. I activate Good Fortune-Miracle Stone!"

A large glowing stone appeared on the field, showering the Witches in it's light. "This card powers my Fortune Telling Witches by 1000 attack points for every Fortune Telling Witch I have." Thanatos explained. "That means they all have 4000 attack points!" The fairies were all covered in an aura of their elements. "The problem is that they can't attack this turn, but you're mine next turn."

The proctor drew his card and smiled. "You did pretty well kid, but sadly, you're not quite good enough to win. I summon my Goblin black Ops (1300/0)." Four goblins wearing black ninja wear appeared on the field, each one holding kunai knives. "They have the ability to attack you directly."

The smile vanished from Thanatos' face when he realized what that meant. He stared in shock as the four goblin ninjas jumped past his fairies and each one slashed their blades into him. Thanatos dropped to the ground as the Fortune Telling Witches disappeared.

Thanatos: 0

"Well well, it looks like for all of your boasting you weren't good enough after all." Tsukiyomaru said as he looked down on Thanatos. "Still, your duel was fairly interesting to watch. I'll have to keep my eyes on you." Tsukiyomaru walked away from the arena and began preparing his own deck for his entrance duel.

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Hidden Prophecy, Trap: Activate only when a Fortune Telling Witch is destroyed this turn. Summon one Fortune Telling Witch from your hand or deck that has one star level more than the destroyed monster and end your opponent's Battle Phase.

Goblin Wake Up Call, Quick Play Spell: Activate only when one of your monsters is switched to defense mode by it's own effect. All monsters on your side of the field are switched to attack mode and the monster that would have been switched to defense mode stays in attack mode. The monsters cannot attack this turn.

Triple Fortune, Spell: Activate only when you have three Fortune Telling Witches on your side of the field. Special Summon one Fortune Telling Witch that isn't among those monsters from your deck.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 2: Angel's Assault

"My my, what a pity." Tsukiyomaru said as the duel disks deactivated. "I told you to mind the contract."

"Shut up!" the student snapped. "The only reason I signed up for this student exam help was so I could beat some weaklings, so don't think because you got lucky means that you're better than me!"

"Of course not." Tsukiyomaru said as he left the area. "Luck had nothing to do with it." He added as he walked own the empty hallway leading back to the stands. He walked back into the large room and walked over to a girl a year younger than he. She had black hair and wore a black shirt and jeans. A pair of headphones was in her ears and she didn't seem to be paying attention to Tsukiyomaru as he approached her.

He gently tapped her forehead, making her open her eyes and give him a bored look. She stopped the music and removed one of the headphones. "Loose yet?" she asked.

"On the contrary." Tsukiyomaru answered. The girl shrugged and stood up to follow her friend. "Thanks for all of that wonderful moral support." He added sarcastically.

"I hardly remember how to play this game remember?" the girl answered angrily.

"Yes yes, so you tell me H- I mean Twilight." Tsukiyomaru said, quickly reverting to his friend's nickname.

"It's true! I know I have some good cards, I think, but I don't know how to use them!" Twilight snapped. Tsukiyomaru ignored her, making her a little more frustrated. She stopped for a second and smirked before shooting her leg out and hitting the back of Tsukiyomaru's knee. He gasped and would have tumbled to the ground if his hand hadn't shot out and grabbed somebody's shoulder for support.

"I'm terribly sorry." He apologized to the young man with unruly brown hair. He turned to his friend and glared at her. "What was that for?" he asked angrily.

"I felt like it." Twilight answered with a shrug.

"Why are you so random?" Tsukiyomaru sighed. He pushed Twilight forward, making sure she was in front of him so she couldn't sabotage his waking anymore. He guided the girl over to the area where students were checking their scores. The pair sat back and waited until the newest tier's scores were posted. Tsukiyomaru looked up at the scores, not entirely paying attention to them.

"Oh?"

"What's up?" Twilight asked, seeing her friend's face change.

"Nothing. I just met somebody earlier, Thanatos I believe. It seems he won't be entering the academy after all." Tsukiyomaru answered. "He had potential, but he wasted his time and intelligence on Fortune Telling Witches of all things. He had potential, but well that's what you get for boasting I suppose."

"That last bit wasn't a cheap shot at me was it?" Twilight asked.

"Of course not. You're not a prideful person. Usually." Tsukiyomaru answered.

"If someone fails the entrance exam what happens? Do they flat out fail and have to wait for next year?" Twilight asked, ignoring the last statements.

"It depends." Tsukiyomaru answered. "Students who score exceptionally high on the paper test but fail miserably in the duel have a chance to take a make up duel, and vice versa. However," he paused to look up at the scores again and shook his head. "I'd be surprised if he got a chance since his test score was average."

"Well maybe he just needs a helping hand." Someone suggested. Tsukiyomaru looked over and raised an eyebrow.

"You're that boy with the Lightsworn monsters." He mumbled.

"Hm? Oh no, not at all." The boy answered modestly. "I borrowed that deck from a friend since I left mine at home. It's a bad habit of mine I suppose." He held his hand out to the two and gave a small smile. "My name is Haseo."

"People call me Twilight." The only girl of the three introduced.

"Tsukiyomaru." The other boy answered. He studied Haseo's face for a moment before smirking. "Interesting." He muttered. "So what were you saying about a helping hand?"

"Well, I think he just needs a little bit of help." Haseo answered. "Maybe if there was a tutoring service or something that he could go to."

Tsukiyomaru blinked in surprise. "Interesting you should mention such a thing. Thanatos himself made that very same suggestion earlier today, before his duel."

"Really?" Haseo asked, his face lighting up in surprise. "Wow, what a coincidence! Great minds think a like I suppose. This Thanatos sounds like a good guy. He's smart, sounds exciting, and uses a fun strategy in his duels. The Fortune Telling Witches are normally looked down on but I think they are pretty strong with the right cards. This Thanatos guy sounds like someone I should try to meet!"

"Yes well, you go do that." Tsukiyomaru said. "He's probably in a corner somewhere crying." Haseo gave the two a happy smile before walking away from the two, leaving with a small wave. Twilight gave a small wave back and turned to Tsukiyomaru.

"I kind of like him. He seems like a good guy." She said.

"Perhaps." Tsukiyomaru answered. "But don't be fooled by appearances alone." He looked back up to the large screen that had the scores displayed. It dimmed down and suddenly lit back up again, displaying new names written in Japanese characters and their scores and dorm placement. Tsukiyomaru raised an eyebrow in suspicion and sighed. "Well that is unexpected." He said blankly.

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"I'm ruined." Thanatos whined. As Tsukiyomaru had suggested, Thanatos was sitting on a chair in a corner, curled up on the chair and sulking. A dark cloud hung over the young boy as he whined to himself. "I can't believe I didn't get in." he whined pathetically. "I'm so pathetic, I shouldn't even exist."

"I don't think that at all."

Thanatos looked up and saw Haseo staring down at him. Haseo put out a hand that Thanatos hesitantly grabbed. Haseo smiled and pulled the other boy up, out of the dark and depressing corner. "I saw your score. Too bad huh?" Haseo said sympathetically.

"Leave me to whither." Thanatos answered as he drifted back to his corner.

"Hold on for a minute!" Haseo said, grabbing the boy's shoulder. "I met Tsukiyomaru and he told me of the idea you had. A tutoring service right?"

Thanatos blinked thoughtfully. "Hm? Oh yeah, it's just a small idea I have. Duelists at the Duel Academy get together and help one another depending on what sort of strategy the person being tutored needs to learn or grow with. The tutors would all be picked because they excel at said strategies and would be the best people to team up with the tutored."

"That sounds like an amazing plan." Haseo said brightly, earning a smile for Thanatos. "That idea is truly a stroke of genius. You are definitely smart enough to at least get a second chance at getting into Duel Academy."

"You really think so?" Thanatos asked happily. His mood changed though as depression took over again. "It doesn't matter though. You won't be able to change the teachers' minds no matter what. I lost and I suck."

Haseo frowned when he saw Thanatos so sad. He put a hand to his chin and a look of deep thought came over his eyes. "I think I might be able to persuade them to. Just trust me okay? Out your faith in me." Thanatos looked up at Haseo's reassuring eyes and smiled.

"Okay, it's up to you." The other boy agreed.

Haseo took Thanatos to one of the officials. He politely asked if he could find Meiga for them and the man agreed. He walked away, leaving the two boys to wait. Thanatos had a happy smile on his face as he waited for Meiga to come. Haseo watched him with a blank face, not seeming to care about the situation.

"Well well, you're Haseo correct?" a familiar voice asked.

The two looked over and saw Tsukiyomaru and Twilight standing near them. "You were the one who delivered a decisive blow to Meiga, correct? A one turn kill."

"Yes that's right." Haseo answered with a smile. "And now I'm trying to help Thanatos. He wasn't quite as lucky."

"Yes I saw. Such a shame." Tsukiyomaru answered.

"It's like to evil monsters sizing each other up or something." Twilight whispered to Thanatos.

"So you're the neophyte that wanted me?" Meiag sneered as he approached the group. "What does a cheating piece of filth like you want?"

"Cheating? I have no idea what you mean." Haseo replied casually. "However, now is not the time to compare dueling skills. I would like my friend Thanatos to have a second chance at his Entrance Exam."

Meiga glared at Haseo viciously. "You think that because you want it, then I'll drop everything and let it happen? You get one chance per exam. If your foolish, useless friend failed it is his own fault."

Ignoring Thanatos crying in the background, Haseo fell silent. He stared at Meiga calmly and smiled slightly. "I will make a deal then." He said in a hushed tone. "I will duel you again. If I win, Thanatos gets another chance at getting into duel Academy. And if I fail, I drop out and don't go."

Meiga was silent for a moment, measuring the pros and cons of Haseo's deal. He had a thoughtful look on his face, but Haseo seemed to loose patience. "You do want to defeat me don't you?" he asked. Meiga's thoughtful look turned to one of triumph, like a spider successfully capturing an innocent fly.

"Deal." He answered. "You there, boy. Give me your duel disk." He commanded. Tsukiyomaru removed his cards and handed the disk to Meiga.

"Excuse me Twilight?" Haseo said kindly. "I seem to have left my deck at home, could I borrow yours?"

"But what about the Lightsworn monsters?" Thanatos asked.

"Oh I borrowed those from a friend. They aren't mine." Haseo answered sheepishly.

"Go for it." Twilight said with a shrug.

"Let's duel again then Meiga." Haseo said as he drew his cards. He scanned over them and smiled slightly. "I must say Twilight, these cards are pretty good." He said.

"Really? I just threw a bunch that looked like they go together." Twilight admitted with a shrug.

"Yes well, I discard Hecatrice from my hand. This let's me add a spell card called Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen to my hand. Next I activate it!" The inside of the building turned into pure white stone. A long red carpet was on the ground, which lead back to a throne behind Haseo. "Now since I don't have any monsters on the field I may special summon one from my hand. So I summon Athena (2600/800)!"

A beautiful woman wearing a pure white toga appeared. She had long white hair and a stren face. She held a glowing white shield and a strange white trident like weapon. "Next, I'll summon another monster since she was only a special summon. I'll summon Royal Knight (1300/800), which let's Athena's ability take off 600 of your Life Points." A white angelic knight appeared on the field, it's lower stomach and joints made of green crystals.

Meiga: 3400

"Hey Tsuki, why are you smiling at that Royal Knight?" Thanatos asked.

"Oh, no reason." Tsukiyomaru answered with a smile and a stray look at his own deck resting in his pocket.

"My move." Meiga growled. "I play three cards face down and a monster in face down defense mode. Your move."

"Right then." Haseo said as he drew his card. "I summon my Radiant Jeral (1000/2000) to the field." A large glowing monster appeared. It's body had a dome like shape with several lines jutting out. It had a large yellow halo and white wings. "Next I play two cards face down and end my turn."

"You fool!" Meiga laughed. "I my monster, Worm Opera!" A strange, translucent yellow monster revealed itself. It was mostly a large mouth, it's head larger than the bottom. It had black eyes with yellow pupils and was covered in slime. "When he reveals himself all monsters except worms loose 500 attack points!"

Opera covered Haseo's three monsters in slime which visibly weakened them. "Next I offer my Opera to summon Worm King (2700/1100)!" Opera vanished and was replaced by a large centaur like monster. It was covered in a slimy but hard orange exoskeleton. It had a long, spiked tail and the front of it's legs had a separate face on it with a vertical mouth filled with razor sharp teeth. Bother pairs of eyes were black with yellow irises.

"You fool." Haseo whispered. "I activate Intercept! This let's me take control of your King!"

"What!?" Meiga howled in anger. A glowing net covered Worm King and pulled him to Haseo. The net dissolved and the Worm King turned on it's former master. "I end my turn." Meiga growled.

"And I start mine. I offer Royal Knight and Jeral to summon my Splendid Venus (2800/2400)." The two fairies disappeared and were replaced by a glowing angle in golden armor. It's face was covered by blank metal and it's eyes glowed yellow. It carried a golden staff with a red gem in it's hand. It had four glowing white wings that shimmered. Worm King pulled away from the light, clearly upset by it. (2200/600)

"All monsters except fairies loose 500 attack and defense points." Haseo explained. "Now, Worm King attack!" The large Worm charged at Meiga but he smiled.

"I activate a trap card called Radiant Mirror Force! If you have three of more attack position monsters all of them are destroyed." Meiga cried dramatically. Haseo's eyes widened a bit when his three monsters were annihilated by the glowing golden wall that repelled Worm King. "So much for your early lead! I'll tear you to bits you little,"

"I activate the effect of my Valhalla." Haseo said, not skipping a beat as he continued the duel. "I summon Angel 07 (2500/1500)." A tall white, metallic angel appeared on the field. It's face was covered by purple metal but the rest of it was wearing white armor with an hourglass shape. "Your move."

"You little bastard." Meiga growled. "I activate my face down card, Worm Parasite. This let's me summon a Worm monster in face down defense mode as long as it has half of my King's stars."

"I activate a trap of my own, known as Summon Mirror." Haseo said, revealing his counter trap card. "This let's me summon a monster whenever you special summon a monster, so long as mine is four stars or less." Meiga glared at Haseo as he placed his new monster face down and summoned a new one face down. Haseo skimmed through the deck and selected one. "I summon Bountiful Artemis!"

A large mirror appeared, materializing Artemis into existence. Artemis had the same body type as Royal Knight, however it had an hour-glass like figure that ended in a sharp point. It had strange metal wings, and a purple cape and mantle. "Now each time a counter trap is used I may draw one card." Haseo continued.

"I activate my face down card called Worm Trap Hole!" Meiga announced, revealing his card. A hole appeared under Artemis which it dropped into and was devoured by what sounded like a hideous monster. "This is activated when you special summon a monster. The monster is destroyed and I may flip summon one of my face down monsters. Say hello to Worm Cartaros (1200/500)!"

A brown Worm monster appeared on the field. Like it's predecessors it had a vertically shaped mouth full of razor teeth and yellow and black eyes. It had four moth like wings that looked to be peeled off of it's skin. It had a more humanoid form than the previous Worms. "When he is flipped I can add one Worm monster from my deck to my hand, and since I set Cartaros through my trap card I can summon the monster I picked. Or rather, set him." A face down monster appeared next to Cartaros. "Your move."

"And the last move." Haseo said as he drew his card. "I summon Herald of the Orange Light!" An orange monster appeared, it's main body was circular armor around an orange diamond like crystal. It had small wings and strange arms on the bottom of it. (300/500).

"Oh my gosh, it's a tuna monster!" Thanatos cried.

"Tuner you moron, Tuner." Tsukiyomaru corrected.

"Indeed it is, and I'm going to use him for just what he's mean to be used for! Go Synchro Summon!" Thanatos cried. The Orange Light turned into a storm of white stars that circled around Angel 07, changing it's form. "I Synchro Summon Agent of Death Pluto!" The light faded, revealing an angel. He had deathly pale skin, wore a black crown and toga, and had black angel wings. He carried with him a scythe and had a white mask that covered his face. (0/0)

"A monster with zero attack points?" Thanatos asked.

"Just watch." Tsukiyomaru replied knowingly.

"When Pluto is summoned to the field I can destroy all cards on the field." Haseo began. Pluto formed a large ball of energy that unleashed a storm of waves, eradicating the field of everything but him. "Next, you loose 500 Life Points for every card destroyed." Haseo continued.

Meiga: 1900

"And finally, Pluto's attack is determined by the difference in our Life Points. This means he gets powered up just enough to destroy you." Haseo finished. Pluto (2100/0) Swung his scythe around and charged at Meiga. He slashed down with his weapon, finishing Meiga off.

Meiga: 0

"There now. As per our deal, Thanatos now has a second chance to get into Duel Academy." Haseo said as his duel disk deactivated. He turned to Thanatos and smiled. "Good luck, I hope to see you at school."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 3: A Blaze of Glory

"Welcome home Ni-chan." A boy one year younger than Haseo said. He had pale skin and black hair. He had straight black hair and was wearing a red t-shirt and a pair of shorts. A towel was around his neck and shoulders.

"Going out to the pool?" Haseo asked.

"Yep. Masurao and Troy are here too." Masato answered.

Haseo frowned for a moment. "Isn't Troy scared of water?"

"It'll be easier if you see for yourself." His younger brother answered. He lead Haseo out to the backyard which had a large in ground pool. A boy of Masato's age was in the water, his brown hair clinging to his head because of the water. He had a blue swim suit on and brown eyes that matched his hair. He was currently looking up into the tree above them.

Haseo raised an eyebrow when he saw the boy in said tree. He had rusty red hair and tan skin. He was wearing a grey swimsuit and currently had his arms wrapped around the tree branch. Said tree branch had grown out so that it stretched over the pool, were the boy was now dangling over. "Hey." Haseo greeted nonchalantly.

"Oh, hey Haseo." Masurao, the boy in the water, answered.

"Why is Troy holding onto that branch for dear life?" Haseo asked, his voice giving a slight hint of interest but his face looking uninterested.

"Well you know how Troy is terrified of water?" Masurao asked, earning a nod from Haseo. "Well Masato and I are trying one last ditch effort to help him get over that fear before summer ends."

"That still doesn't answer why he's in the tree." Haseo said.

"He ran up there in fear, not realizing the branch would bend down so close to the water." Masato answered.

"Yes well," Haseo said, scanning the situation. He looked next to him and saw a tiger cub curled up on a folding beach chair, purring softly as he slept. He looked back when he heard a small crack and saw the branch was finally succumbing to Troy's weight. Troy was shaking violently, a few leaves drifting off of the branch. "Good luck then." He said before walking inside.

CRACK!

"ARGH!"

SPLASH!

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Thanatos sat at the desk in his room. His second entrance duel was going to be the next day and he had to make sure his deck was perfect. His cards were organized in front of him in groups, depicting strategies and plans. He stared at the cards long and hard before sighing.

"I'm a failure." He muttered. "I can't do this! I've looked over it again and again and no matter what I do I can't think of ho to get the Witches out any faster!"

"Ni-chan why are you talking to yourself?" a young boy asked after suddenly barging into the boy's room. He had light brown straight hair, slightly tan skin, brown eyes, a red shirt and jeans. He looked to be about eight.

"Because I have to win at this duel tomorrow or else I can't get into the Academy!" he snapped. "Go away Ian, I have to think!"

"Do you want to do a duel?" the younger boy asked. "You need practice right?"

"No, I need a new strategy." Thanatos answered. "I have to think of some way to get my Fortune Telling Witches out to the field faster." Just summoning them once a turn and then hoping I get the right spell cards won't work!"

"I know what you can do." The boy said.

Thanatos looked over at his younger brother curiously. "Oh really?" he asked, not bothering to keep the skepticism from his voice.

"Sure. I'll tell you if you do a duel with me." Ian answered.

"You drive a hard bargain." Thanatos said. He gathered his cards together and sighed. "But fine. What do I have to loose?"

"Yay! I'll go get my duel disk I got for my birthday!" Ian cheered.

"Okay." Thanatos sighed. He got his own duel disk ready and put his cards in after shuffling them. His younger brother ran back in, the weight of his duel disk a little too heavy for him to keep it straight out. "Ready?"

"Ready!" he answered excitedly.

"Okay then, here we go!" Thanatos cried as he drew a card.

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Thanatos stared at the large building that housed the Entrance Exams. His deck was complete, thanks to his brother's help. For all the grief they gave each other they knew they could count on each other. Thanatos sighed and walked towards the building. He walked past Haseo who was leaning against the wall next to the door. Haseo smiled lightly after Thanatos walked in and followed him.

Thanatos walked into the main room where Meiga stood. From the looks on his face, Thanatos reasoned he was not happy to be there. He glared at the two boys, Thanatos looking nervous and Haseo looking aloof. "Follow me." He snapped. The two boys walked with Meiga to one of the classrooms where they had taken the written exam. The desks had been cleared away and a female Ra Yellow student stood in the middle of the room.

"Hello." She greeted, Thanatos surprised to hear a British accent. She had light brown hair and a small smile on her face. She had a normal second year Ra Yellow uniform on and an academy duel disk on her arm. "I guess you're the one I'll be dueling." She assessed.

"That's right." Thanatos answered. Haseo walked over and sat at the chair behind the desk, earning a scowl from Meiga. While the strange professor tried yelling at Haseo to get him out so he could sit, the doors opened. A stern looking man wearing a third year Obelisk Blue uniform with all of the white black walked in. he had dark blue hair and matching eyes. "I'm the Chancellor of Duel Academy Zane Truesdale." He said. "I'm here to watch over this duel and assess your abilities. If you manage to win and pass me assessment, then your score will be recalculated and you'll have a second chance of getting into Duel Academy."

He walked over and looked down at Haseo. The white haired boy looked back up and an invisible battle of wills seemed to occur. Meiga shrunk back from the two in fear. Zane's eyes narrowed and he opted out to sit on the edge of the large desk, ignoring the small proud smirk on Haseo's face. "Alright, start the duel then." Zane said.

"Right! Ladies first." Thanatos invited.

"Thank you. Oh, and before we begin my name is Sandra, but you can call me San." The two duelists drew their cards and faced off against each other. "I start by playing a card face down and summoning Solar Flare Dragon (1500/1000)!" A long serpent like dragon appeared in an explosion of fire. It's body was on fire and it's scale seemed to be made of magma. "No when I end my turn, he burns off 500 of your Life Points." Solar sent a fireball at Thanatos, covering him in fire.

Thanatos: 3500

"My move!" Thanatos cried a she drew his card. He looked at it and smiled. "Okay, I summon Mother Grizzly (1400/1000)!" A large black bear appeared on the field and roared threateningly. "Attack Solar Flare Dragon!" San frowned when she saw the large bear charge, only to be incinerated by her dragon.

"Of course, her ability!" San cried.

"That's right! When she's destroyed I can summon a new water monster with four or fewer stars. So I summon Fortune telling Witch Sui (0/0)!" A small bubble of water formed, revealing Sui. "Next, I'm using two spell cards. The first is called Advance Fortune Loan, which summon a Fortune telling Witch with one star level lower than Sui's." A small tornado formed revealing a familiar green fairy. "This is Fortune telling Witch Fu. Next, my spell card Unacceptable Results activates, which summons a Witch with one star level higher than Sui. That means I can summon Fortune telling Witch An." The purple fairy rose up from the shadows, a smirk on her face.

"That was a good move. And their all in defense mode too." Haseo said, his interest slightly piqued.

"My move." San said, drawing her card. "I summon Raging Flame Sprite." A small fairy appeared, a wand in it's hand that burned with a dim fire. She wore a brown witch hat and she had brown hair. (100/200) "I'll have her attack you directly!" San ordered. The fairy charged in a blasted Thanatos with a small burst of fire.

Thanatos: 3400

"And every time she gains more attack points (1100/200). Now I'll have my Solar Flare dragon attack your Sui!" The serpent dragon sent out a burst of flames that burned Sui away into a pile of ashes and left over fairy wings. "I end my turn, which meand my Dragon does even more damage to you."

Thanatos: 2900

"I hate burn decks." The boy sighed as he drew a new card. "I activate Good Fortune-Lucky Hand! This let's me draw a card for every Fortune telling Witch I have on the field, and I still have two." Thanatos drew his cards and smiled. "I summon my Fortune Telling Witch Hikari (0/0)." The yellow fairy appeared in a small flash of light and smiled brightly. "Now I play Good Fortune-Trinity Flash! If I have three Fortune Telling Witches on the field I can destroy one of your monsters. So good bye Sprite!"

The Witches put their wands together, creating a source of light that constantly shifted from yellow, purple, and green. The light fired as a beam at Raging Flame Sprite, destroying her instantly. "Your move San."

"Okay then, I summon my Little Chimera." A small cat with bat wings and sharp fangs appeared on the field, it's fur a deep black. (1100/1000) "This little cute cat powers up Fire monsters by 500 attack and defense. Now I'll have my Solar Flare dragon attack Hikari!" The dragon complied wth it's master's orders and destroyed the fairy.

Thanatos: 900

"Now Little Chimera, attack Fu!" The small cat charged at Fu and slashed it's claws through her. "And now I end my turn with Solar Flare Dragon burning off even more of your Life Points."

Thanatos: 400

"My move." Thanatos said, drawing his card. "I play a card face down and end my turn." He said quietly.

"My move." San said as she drew her card. "Sorry Thanatos, but I'm ending this. Solar Flare dragon, destroy his final witch." The dragon flew towards An, his mouth ready to eat her.

"I activate my trap card, Bad Fortune-Damage Reversal!" Thanatos cried, revealing his trap card. "When an opponent attacks one of my Fortune Telling Witches I can use this. By removing from play a Fortune telling Witch from my graveyard I can stop the attack on one of my Witches, and then destroy the attacking monster. It would do damage to you as well, but since En is in defense mode that doesn't apply."

"That was a good move. I end my turn." San said.

"Okay then, this is where I turn things around!" Thanatos cried as he drew a card. His eyes widened when he saw the card and smiled. "I activate Heavenly Fortune Telling. This card let's me off my Fortune Telling Witch En to special summon from my deck a Fortune Telling Witch for every star level she has." En was covered in darkness and exploded into shimmering light that brought forth the other five of the Fortune telling Witches. "Now, depending on how many Witches are summoned I get one more effect. Since I summoned five, I can heal my Life Points for every Fortune Telling Witch in my graveyard, which is three."

Thanatos: 1900

"That was quite good." Haseo assessed.

"No kidding, now I've got a whole wall of fairies to take out." San sighed. "It's no problem though, that was a great move." She drew her card and smiled. "Okay I'll have my Little Chimera destroy your newest Hikari." The black cat lunged toward the fairy and destroyed it with a scratch of her claws. "I end my turn."

"And I begin mine." Thanatos said a she drew his card. "I active Good Fortune-Miracle Stone!" A large glowing crystal appeared, bathing the girls in bright light. The Witches all began glowing, powered up by the large crystal. (4000/0) "I switch them all to attack and end my turn."

"Uh oh, looks like I need to make a last stand." San said worriedly. "I activate Soul of Fire! This let's you draw a card, and let's me choose a monster from my deck. I choose Gaia Soul the Combustible Collective. Now half of hi attack points are sent though your Life Points!" A large flaming chunk of earth appeared and exploded into Thanatos.

Thanatos: 900

"Now I play a card face down and switch Chimera to defense mode. Your move." San said, a sad smile on her face. "I guess I loose, but it was still fun." She said.

"Sorry, but you're right. Hikari, destroy Chimera!" Hikari sent a massive beam of shimmering light at the cat, destroying it.

"It's an empty gesture, but I activate Backfire! Since you destroyed a fire monster you loose 500 Life Points." San said.

Thanatos: 400

"Finish her off Chi!" The brown fairy sent a beam to the earth which created a large earthquake. San fell to the ground and sighed.

"Nice job Thanatos, I guess you win." She said with a proud smile. "It's going to be my second year at the Academy so just tell me if you need somebody to show you and your friends around okay?"

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." Thanatos said with an excited smile.

"Well he did win." Zane said. "So I suppose he can get in as a Red student."

"No!" Meiga cried. "No, no, no, no! I can't believe this is happening!"

"Calm down Meiga, you were the one who agreed to our duel and this deal." Haseo said calmly. Meiga pointed at Haseo and let out a low growl.

"I will make sure you get kicked out of this school if it kills me." Meiga hissed.

"Careful how you word things." Haseo answered coldly. He looked over at Thanatos who was now happily jumping up and down and hugging San. He chuckled slightly. 'Congratulations Thanatos.' He thought. 'I hope you and I get to know each other this year. And don't forget, you owe me.'


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Chapter 4: Lightening Round!

"Wow, now this is fancy!" Thanatos said as he walked into the large ship that would be taking him to Duel Academy. "I can't believe I'm finally here! I have got to thank Haseo again when I see him later." Thanatos said. He turned to one of the doors in the hallway and opened it. Since the ship was leaving late the students were assigned rooms so they could have a place to sleep. Thanatos walked into his and put his carry on bag on the desk and lied back on the bed. "This bed is so soft." He yawned. "I could fall asleep on here if I'm not careful."

He grabbed one of the pillows and put it under his head, a small frown on his face. "The pillows aren't that good though." He said, sitting up. He sat within his room for a few minutes, the silence slowly getting to him. He jumped up excitedly. "Okay, I am not just sitting in here for the trip. I have got to find something to do!" He ran out of his room, but suddenly collided with somebody in the hallway.

Thanatos was knocked backwards and fell back through his door way. He held his pained head as he sat up and looked at the boy that he ran into. He had somewhat long black hair and fair skin. He was wearing a first year Ra Yellow uniform. He looked at Thanatos and stood up. "Sorry about that." He apologized.

"No, it's my fault. People say I'm way too impulsive." Tahanatos answered. He took the stranger's outstretched hand and stood up. "I'm Thanatos by the way."

"My friends call me Ghost." The other boy answered with a small smile.

"Nice to meet you!" Thanatos cheered. "I love meeting new people! Right now though I'm pretty bored and wanted to go find one of my other friends. I don't suppose you've seen a guy named Haseo?"

"White hair, green eyes, sophisticated but friendly aura around him?" Ghost asked.

"Yeah that's him!" Thanatos answered.

"Sorry, I haven't seen him myself. I've only heard about him." Ghost answered.

"What have you heard?" Thanatos asked worriedly. "Was he hurt in some way!? Is he alright!? Did an oval-headed baby fill his body with bullets and then knock him overboard!?" Thanatos stopped and stared at Ghost with a smile. "That's my second comedy reference in five minutes."

"What was the first?" Ghost asked.

"Lumpy pillows, and I mean that in the most abridged way possible." Thanatos answered.

"Right," Ghost said, a little confused. "Well anyway, from what I've heard Haseo is fine. In fact he's great if the rumors are to go by. He's the rookie to beat this year. Even the upperclassmen are out to get his head."

"Really? That's so like him!" Thanatos laughed.

"I heard that he was dueling a bunch of people on the deck, no pun intended, so I was going to put my stuff away and then go see for myself." Ghost answered.

"That sounds fun! I'll go too if you don't mind." Thanatos agreed.

"Of course not, I'm always open to making new friends." Ghost answered.

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"I'm thinking of getting dreadlocks you know?" Ghost said as he and Thanatos walked out to the deck. "I mean how often do you really see them on a white kid?"

"True, but I heard they're a pain in the ass to get out when you don't want them anymore." Thanatos answered.

Before Ghost could reply they heard an explosion they both recognized as coming from a duel disk. They ran out on deck to see Haseo dueling against a red haired Obelisk Blue boy. "Go Familiar Knight, attack him directly!" Haseo ordered. The silver clad knight charged forward and ended the duel with a strike of his sword. The student fell in defeat and Haseo removed the deck from it's duel disk. He handed it back to the young Slypher Red girl.

"See? Any deck can be a winner if you just now how to use it." He said, the girl blushing a bit. He turned back and noticed Thanatos. He smiled and walked over to him.

"Hello Thanatos, I'm glad you could make it." He said warmly.

"Wow, you got into Obelisk Blue! Not that I'm surprised since you beat Meiga twice." Thanatos answered. "I'm only in the Red dorm but you know, under the circumstances and all. Thanks by the way."

"It's no trouble at all. I was happy to help." Haseo answered. As Thanatos had said he was wearing an Obelisk Blue uniform. "And who are you?"

"People call me Ghost." The duelist answered. "I'm impressed though. You beat an Obelisk Blue with a Slypher Red's deck. You must be as good as they say."

"Oh not at all, I just got lucky really." Haseo answered.

"Judging by the fangirls these recent duels have presented you with, I'd say you could get lucky any time you want." Ghost answered, noticing that most Red female students were staring at Haseo and practically drooling.

"Was that a dirty joke?" Thanatos laughed, but went ignored by the other two.

"I guess I also won the genetics roulette game as well." Haseo answered with a shrug. "I've been dueling a few students tonight to pass the time and entertain the people."

"That's not quite true." A familiar voice said. A cold sea breeze blew through the area, signaling the arrival of Tsukiyomru and Twilight. "The only reason you have been dueling is so that you can gain the approval and respect of those around you. You're not dueling for fun, you're doing it for attention. The more you win, especially with other people's decks, the more you'll be targeted and the more fame you'll get. Add in the fact that we aren't even at school and you're just an attention mongering whore."

"Wow, that's cold." Ghost said. Haseo however was silent.

"It also gives me reason to believe you are either trying to earn the attention of a single person to duel, or everybody for a future plan you may have." Tsukiyomaru continued. "What exactly might that be I wonder?"

"Wow, Haseo is that true?" Thanatos asked.

Haseo was silent for a moment more, his hair casting a shadow over his eyes. He suddenly popped his face up and smiled. "That's absolutely right!" he laughed, shocking Thanatos and Ghost a bit by his sudden cry. "I love getting attention from other people, so what better way then using my duel skills to do so? I mean that's basically what going pro is about right?"

"True, I suppose you're right." Tsukiyomaru answered. "If that is the case, then how about we duel?" Twilight rolled her eyes as Thanatos had the usual over the top reaction.

"Man Tsuki, can't you go anywhere without being a jerkass to who you meet?" Twilight asked. "So he wanted attention. Big deal right? There's no crime in that." Tsukiyomaru ignored her and pulled his deck out.

"Shall we play?" he challenged.

"Indeed. Let's play." Haseo answered. He looked around for someone to borrow a deck from. "Another reason I'm using the decks of others is because I left my own in my room. You seem pretty anxious so I won't bother getting it. Oh, you there!" he cried, pointing at a Ra Yellow student. He had electric blonde hair and creamy eyes. He seemed to practically glow with a golden energy. "Yes you, what's you're name?"

"Konjiki" the boy answered with a smile. "You want to use my deck right? I'd be honored man." The Ra Yellow walked forward and revealed he was actually a head taller than Haseo. Thanatos felt a little dwarfed by the tall youth. "I'm in my second year here, but it seems like you're giving a few lessons. I'd love it if you used my awesome deck to shock this guy into submission."

"Excellent. Thank you very much." Haseo said gratefully as he took the deck, a small spark of static electricity shocked his hand when he barely brushed his hand against Konjiki's. He pulled back in mild surprise and smiled. "Thank you Konjiki." He turned to Tsukiyomaru and placed the new cards in his deck. "Shall we have at it then?" he asked.

"Indeed." Tsukiyomaru said as he took his spot away from Haseo, his duel disk activating. He drew his cards, a small smile gracing his face. "If I win, then you stop with the attention grubbing and go to your room. If I loose, I'll admit you are the superior duelist and leave you alone. Deal?"

"I suppose so." Haseo answered with a smile.

"We have a contract then." Tsukiyomaru said.

"Oh boy Tsuki," Twilight sighed. "You and those damn contracts."

"I'll go first since you challenged me." Haseo said as he drew his card. "I play two cards face down and summon Batteryman AA (1000/1000)!" An orange robot like monster appeared. It's body was a thin cylinder with electricity crackling in the air around it. It had orange arms and legs. It's face was white, it's head orange, and a blue recyclable sign was on it's forehead, just above it's green eyes. "He gets 1000 attack and defense for every Batteryman AA on the field, so since there's one he obviously gains 1000. Your move Tsukiyomaru."

"Very well then." Tsukiyomaru said as he drew his card. "I summon my Toy Soldier (800/300)." In a flash of light a small toy soldier appeared, dressed like a stereotypical French warrior. He pointed a musket at Batteryman AA and aimed, waiting for Tsukiyomaru's orders. "Next I play two cards face down and activate Heart of Clear Water on my Toy Soldier." A large water droplet appeared above Toy Soldier and fell on him. The water glowed and covered the soldier in a red aura. "Now he cannot be destroyed in battle. Your move."

"Toys?" Thanatos asked in confusion. "I really didn't peg Tsukiyomaru as a Toy deck user."

"They might seem weak but you'd be surprised at what those things can do." Twilight answered.

"Interesting deck, I wonder what you have in store." Haseo said with a smile. "I play a monster face down. Now Batteryman AA, attack!" The orange battery charged at the Toy Soldier and punched him with an electrically charged punch.

Tsukiyomaru: 3800

"I end my turn." Haseo said.

"Excellent. Since I have a Toy Soldier on the field during my Standby Phase I can summon another one from my deck." Tsukiyomaru explained as his soldier pulled out a whistle. He let out a sharp note and another Toy Soldier appeared next to him. "I activate Toy Box, which let's me summon one Toy Box Token (0/0) to the field." A strange box appeared next to the soldiers, a goofy smile painted on the front of it's multicolored face. "Now I remove two Toy monsters from my hand." Tsukiyomaru added as he pocked his two cards.

"Now I activate a face down, Fife and Drum Cops." Tsukiyomaru said. A small army of Toy Soldiers with flutes and drums appeared. The two soldiers holding weapons perked up as the army started playing an upbeat tune. "This doubles the attack of all of my toy Soldiers (1600/300) for the rest of the turn. Now ready," Tsukiyomaru commanded. The Toy Soldiers stood at attention, "Aim!" The Toy Soldiers aimed their guns at Batteryman AA and the hidden monster. "Fire!"

BANG!

The Toy Soldiers blasted away Batteryman AA and the hidden monster, a circular pink batteryman monster.

Haseo: 3400

"Thank you. The hidden monster you destroyed was Batteryman Micro Cell. He let's me summon one Batteryman from my deck, so I'll bring out Batteryman D (0/1900) in defense mode." A large gold and green batteryman appeared on the field. He was large, towering over the soldiers. Yet he had a peaceful smile on his face and didn't seem very threatening.

"I end my turn." Tsukiyomaru said.

"Excellent." Haseo said with a happy smile. I activate my trap card Portable Battery Pack." A strange machine appeared on the field and crackled with electricity. Batteryman AA appeared in it and was charged back to life, followed by Micro Cell. "This let's me summon two Batterymen from my graveyard. Now I offer Batteryman Micro Cell to summon Batteryman Charger (1800/1200)." A pink batteryman with an oval head appeared.

"Now he let's me summon a new Batteryman from my deck, so I'll bring out another AA! (2000/0)" A second orange batteryman appeared, the first one perking up when he saw his friend. "Next, my Charger gains 300 attack and defense for every Thunder monster on the field. (2700/2100) Now attack his Toy Soldier Batteryman AA!" The orange battery charged at the vulnerable Toy Soldier, but Tsukiyomaru only smiled.

"I activate a face down card, Imagination Game!" Tsukiyomaru cried, revealing a card that depicted a small boy with brown hair that covered his eyes playing with Toy Soldiers. "This let's me activate a spell card from my hand, so I activate Crowning of the Emperor! This let's me offer the Toy Soldier you attacked to summon Toy Emperor from my deck!"

A crown appeared above the Toy Soldier and dropped on his head. His eyes ignited in a blaze of confidence and he glowed brightly. Batteryman AA was destroyed by him as he grew into a much stronger toy. He wore a regal suit and cape, and had a thin rapier in his hand. He had a three pointed hat with a white feather on his head.

Haseo: 3100

Batteryman AA: 1000

Batteryman Charger: 2400/1800

"Now since he destroyed a monster I can add a trap from my deck to my hand." Tsukiyomaru said as he pulled out his desired card.

"Charger, attack his Toy Box Token!" Haseo commanded. Charger sent out a storm of electricity at the soldier. The fragile thing was fried, but managed to survive.

Tsukiyomaru: 1600

"Why'd he do that?" Twilight wondered. "Couldn't have destroyed Toy Emperor?"

"Because it gave him a bigger lead. Toy Emperor will be forced to destroy Batteyrman D, or go to defense mode. It might not look like it at first, but that was a smart move." Ghost answered.

"My move." Tsukiyoamru said blankly as he drew his card. "I activate my Toy Box Token's ability to special summon one of the Toys he removed from play. I summon my Toy Rocking Horse (500/500)!" A large white rocking horse appeared on the field and Toy Emperor mounted it. ( 2800/1300) "Toy Rocking Horse is a Union monster that can equip to a Toy monster. The monster gains 500 attack and defense points, and gains the trample ability. Attack his Batteryman D!"

Toy Emperor charged on the Toy Rocking Horse, somehow managing to make it move. He drew his sword and quickly pierced the large batteryman.

Haseo: 2200

Batteryman Charger: 2100/1500

"I play a card face down and switch Toy Box Token to defense mode." Tsukiyomaru ended.

"My this duel has been fun but sadly we need to end it." Haseo said with a small smile. "I remove Batteryman Micro Cell and AA to summon Batteryman Industrial Strength!" A massive explosion of electricity covered the deck, blinding everyone. A large batteryman stood behind Haseo. It's main body was a large silver box, the top of which had it's circular head. Two large wires lead from his back to his hands, one blue and the other red, both crackling with electricity. His lower body was a large wheel that he balanced on perfectly. (2600/0) "Now I activate a spell card called Short Circuit."

Tsukiyomaru's eyes widened as Industrial Strength began charging. AA and Charger joined in, feeding their larger counterpart. Batteryman Industrial Strength let loose a massive burst of electricity that destroyed the toys under Tsukiyomaru's control. Battaryman Industrial Strength charged the remaining electricity to his two wires and sent one last charge at Tsukiyomaru, the lightening flying through the clear field and knocking him back.

Tsukiyomaru: 0

"He lost." Twilight said in a surprised voice.

"Wow, Haseo kicked his ass." Thanatos said.

"What exactly does Short Circuit do?" Ghost asked.

"If I have three or more Batterymen, which I did, it allows me to destroy all of Tsukiyomaru's cards." Haseo explained as the Batterymen disappeared in a burst of bright electricity. "It seems I won the duel, so I can continue my attention mongering. Who else would like to duel me?" The crowd around him burst into applause, cheers, and cries of challenge. Haseo laughed as he returned Konjiki's deck to him and then began searching for a new opponent and deck to borrow.

"You okay Tsuki-kun?" Twilight asked.

"I'm fine." He answered quietly, his eyes narrowing a bit as he watched Haseo. "I'll be in my room." He turned and left the group to watch Haseo.

Thanatos frowned and went to follow him but twilight stopped him. "Leave him, he's like this a lot. He'll bounce back on his own, don't worry." She said. Thanatos couldn't help but feel worried for him though as he watched him walk away.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: False Accusations

"Excuse me, Konjiki." Haseo said politely. The blonde haired boy turned around and smiled at Haseo.

"Hey there! Good morning Haseo." He greeted cheerfully.

"Good morning to you as well. I recognized you the minute I saw you. Thank you very much for letting me borrow your deck." Haseo said politely. Konjiki frowned when he saw Haseo look down the hallway he had just turned from and sigh.

"Dude, something wrong?" Konjiki asked worriedly. Haseo turned back to him and smiled sheepishly.

"Nothing it's just that I'm a little worried." Haseo answered. "Ever since last night I've been having to dodge students asking me to duel them. Plus, I've even been asked out by a few girls."

"Really? Well I guess that's what happens when you show off your awesome skills, look like you do, and have your dad." Konjiki answered.

"Yes, I suppose you're right." Haseo said, a hint of contempt in his voice. It was gone as soon as it was there though and he gave Konjiki another smile. "I know, but I hardly got any sleep last night. I've really been busy dodging a lot of people." Hasep trailed off as he let out a small but long yawn. Konjiki frowned as he looked at the younger boy.

"I've got an idea." He said. "I'll let you sleep in my room. We only have an hour or two left until we get to the school but that is something right? Nobody will know that you're in my room so nobody will come and bug you."

"You'd let me do that?" Haseo asked.

"Of course!" Konjiki answered. He smiled at Haseo. For some reason, he felt that he could trust this boy. He pulled his key out and pointed Haseo in the direction of his room. Haseo thanked him once more and then walked towards the room. He stopped though and turned back to Konjiki.

"I hope we can see each other again soon. Maybe we'll have a class together." Haseo said cheerfully.

"Maybe." Konjiki answered with a wide smile. "If you ever need someone to show you around then just ask."

"Thank you, I will." Haseo said before walking down the hallway. He smiled as he did, Konjiki leaving the hallway behind him. "That was easier than I thought." He said quietly.

"Most of you humans are easy to fool." A deep voice answered in Haseo's ear.

"Agreed." Haseo said with a small smile as he walked into Konjiki's room. "Now then, time to make Konjiki owe me one." he said slyly as he closed the door.

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

"Wake up calls. Who the hell had the gall to issue a wake up call for the passengers?" Tsukiyomaru asked dangerously. He and Twilight had gone to the cafeteria to get breakfast, Twilight hoping to calm down her nightowl friend. "I mean really, who on earth actually wakes up at 8 in the morning?"

"Most normal people when they get the chance. Some people have to wake up early." Twilight answered, not caring enough to be sarcastic about it and a bit frightened to incur her friend's wrath.

"Well yes, for school or work. But we are going to school." Tsukiyomaru said. "We are not there yet and therefore not in school yet. This means we should be allowed to sleep in as much as we want."

"So then until noon?" Twilight asked.

"Exactly!" Tsukiyomaru answered. "Finally someone that gets it!"

"Why are we still walking?" twilight asked, not bothering to poke at her friend's logic and beliefs.

"Because we can't find an empty table." Tsukiyomaru answered. The room was filled with nice tables that could seat at least four people but Tsukiyomaru despised new people as you've probably guessed by now and therefore the two had been looking for an empty table. Sadly, there were none. He looked around and saw a table with only one person. "Wait here." Tsukiyomaru ordered. He walked over to the boy and said something Twilight couldn't quite hear. The girl sat up and walked away immediately, Tsukiyomaru sitting in the chair next to the girl's.

"How do you do that?" Twilight asked.

"People say I have a kingly authority. They find it hard to say no to me." Tsukiyomaru answered. Twilight shrugged and sat down next to her friend. They waited for one of the busy waiters to come by and waited patiently. Well, Tsukiyomaru did, Twilight didn't.

"They so need to hire more people for this place." Twilight grumbled.

"They'd need a bigger boat for rooms for the new employees. Not to mention pay more money as a whole or make cheaper pay which in turn may turn some people off from the job." Tsukiyomaru answered calmly.

"You have an answer for everything don't you?" Twilight grumbled again.

"No, just most things." Tsukiyomaru answered calmly.

"Hey, it's Tsuki!"

"Quick, take this knife and stab my brain through my eye!" Tsukiyomaru cried as he shoved the knife into Twilight's hands.

"You honestly trust me with a knife?" Twilight asked sarcastically.

"Hi guys!" Thanatos said cheerily.

"Don't hold back, jam it in there dammit!" Tsukiyomaru said desperately.

"You've obviously never seen my play FPS." Twilight chuckled.

"Hey." Ghost said.

"Who are you?" Tsukiyomaru asked.

"Ouch, that kind of hurts." Ghost answered.

"Well you guys didn't really talk much last night given that you were busy trying to kick the crap out of Haseo." Twilight answered with a shrug. "Besides, he's bad with names. It's why he prefers Geass over the Death Note."

Tsukiyomaru was about to say something when a cheerful song rang through the air. Tsukiyomaru quickly pulled out his cell phone and looked at it. "Deus E. Machina? Who the hell is that? I don't know him."

"Nice ring tone. Houki Boshi is a great song." A student walking by said.

"Thanks." Tsukiyomaru said, not really paying attention as he placed his cell phone in his pocket.

"Hi! Who are you?" Thanatos asked with a cheerfulness Tsukiyoamru thought impossible to be had in someone so early in the morning.

"My friends call me Kira, not that I have many friends." Kira answered.

"K-Kira?" Tsukiyomaru asked in shock. He looked up and looked at the face of the Slypher Red student. He had long and messy brown hair and looked slightly over weight. Tsukiyomnaru stared at him and he smiled back.

"Hi Tsuki." He greeted.

"What are you doing here?" Tsukiyomaru asked.

"Well fine, if you don't want me here." The boy said as he turned to walk away. Tsukiyomaru's hand shot out and grabbed his shoulder. Kira turned back and smiled at him. "Just kidding." He said cheerfully. He sat down next to Twilight, Thanatos and Ghost sitting down next to him.

"Did I say you two could be here?" Tsukiyomaru asked in his calm but annoyed voice.

"Are we allowed to be here?" Ghost asked.

Tsukiyomaru stared at them for a moment. He pointed at Ghost. "You stay." He said and then pointed at Thanatos. "You get the hell out of here."

"Aw, why?" Thanatos whined.

"Because you're presence literally hurts me." Tsukiyomaru answered calmly.

"Oh come on Tsuki, let him stay." Kira said. Thanatos smiled widely and Tsukiyomaru sighed. "So how have you two been?" Kira asked.

"I've been doing pretty well. I can actually play the game now, more or less." Twilight answered.

"I've been fine." Tsukiyomaru answered. "And you?"

"I've been doing well for the most part." Kira answered. "I wanted a fresh start at a new school since my old one got a little stressful for me. So I talked it over with my parents and I got them to let me come here. I had no idea I'd see you two here. Are you guys going out yet?"

Twilight spat the water she had been drinking out of her mouth and right into ghost. Tsukiyomaru gave Kira an annoyed glare, while Ghost cleaned himself off with a napkin. "Why must you ask that?" Tsukiyomaru sighed.

"Well you always said that you might fall for Twilight if you had any daily or extended contact with her so I just thought,"

"And there lies the problem." Tsukiyomaru cut him off. Kira frowned but Tsukiyomaru smiled. "Just kidding." He added.

"Wow, you guys seem like good friends." Thanatos said. "It kind of makes me sad when I think about all of my friends that I won't see for the whole school year. I'm not as lucky as Tsuki to get to see my old best friend and my girlfriend all year."

"When did I say you could refer to me in such a friendly manner?" Tsukiyomaru asked, too tired of the girlfriend joke to care at the moment.

"But we are friends." Thanatos answered with a happy smile.

"Ghost, please remove Thanatos." Tsukiyomaru replied.

"Oh come on!" Thanatos whined.

"Attention passengers." A voice said over the ship's speaker system. "We will be docking at Duel Academy in approximately one hour. Please make sure all of your belongings are packed and that you are ready to leave."

"Finally." Thanatos sighed. "This boat was beginning to get boring! Come on Ghost, let's go pack our crap!"

"Aw, I wanted to eat." Ghost moaned before Thanatos dragged him away. The two made it back to their rooms, walking down the hallway quickly. Thanatos moved quickly, Ghost jogging behind him to catch up. "Why am I following this guy again?" he asked himself before turning a corner and colliding with someone. "I'm sorry!" he cried, getting up and helping the person.

"Watch where you're going!" the boy snapped irritably as he fixed his black hair. He was an Obelisk Blue student but those two things were all Ghost could see before he moved out of the hallway. Ghost shrugged, moving down the hallway. He frowned when he saw one of the doors open and looked inside.

The room was a Ra yellow's, he could tell because the furniture and decorations were the same as within his own room. He looked into the room for a second, wondering if Thanatos had barged in somehow. "Thanatos has no idea where he's going." Ghost muttered to himself. He turned to leave, coming face to face with a shocked Konjiki.

"What are you doing here?" Konjiki asked.

"The door was open." Ghost explained as Konjiki walked past him. "So I,"

"Where's my deck?" Konjiki asked suddenly, silencing Ghost.

"Pardon?"

"Where the hell is my deck?" Konjiki asked angrily as he looked around. He turned on Ghost, the teen already knowing that this would end badly for him. Konjiki lunged at him, grabbed his collar, and slammed him against the wall. "My grandmother gave me that deck you bastard. What did you do to it!?"

"Nothing, I swear!" Ghost cried fearfully.

Konjiki quickly searched Ghost, obviously not caring about the boy's personal space. He came up empty, aside from Ghost's wallet and his own deck. But he remained unconvinced and grabbed Ghost before he could run away. "Where is it!?" he roared angrily.

"I don't know!" Ghost insisted.

"Oh lord, what is with this racket?" an annoyed voice asked. Ghost and Konjiki looked out to see Meiga looking at them.

"Yay, it's the parasitic moth!" Ghost cheered thankfully.

"What are you two doing?" Meiga asked again, though still looked bored.

"This little shit stole my deck!" Konjiki roared angrily.

"Oh please, settle down." Meiga sighed. "Come with me, I'll get things settled."

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

"What!?" Thanatos cried when he heard the news. Kira flinched slightly at the loud cry.

"I'm only saying what I heard." He answered. "I thought I should tell you since you looked like good friends and all." Kira trailed off, for Thanatos had already zipped off down the hallway. Thanatos rushed down the hallway, searching for where the teacher's rooms were on the ship. He rounded a corner and kicked a door open.

"That wasn't locked you know." Zane muttered as he looked at Thanatos. Meiga, Konjiki, and Ghost were in the room as well. Ghost sat in a chair before the three, Zane sitting in a desk with Meiga and Konjiki standing around him.

"Ghost what's going on!?" Thanatos cried, paying no mind to the other three.

"I get the feeling that I'm going to be seeing a lot of Thanatos this year." Zane muttered to himself again.

"This little bastard stole my deck!" Konjiki roared.

"I did not!" Ghost cried.

"You did so! I saw you in my room!"

"But I don't have the deck on me!"

"You hid it somewhere!"

"Ghost isn't the kind of person to do that!"

"Thanks Thanatos!"

"But out! Didn't you only meet him last night?!"

"Yeah but he's my best friend at Duel Academy! Well, maybe Haseo is but I don't see him that often unless he comes to me so Ghost is instead."

"Thanks, I think…"

"Stop defending him if you have no proof he didn't!"

"Stop accusing if you have no proof he did!"

"QUIET!" Zane roared, silencing the three students' shouting and making Meiga take a step away from him. "Enough already." Zane sighed. "Surely there must be some way to settle this. If I let you go then Konjiki will whine and you may have done it. If I punish you then Thanatos will whine and you may not have done it." Zane sat back and frowned. "Why did I ever accept this job again?" he mused.

"They could duel." Meiga suggested.

"With what deck?" Konjiki snapped.

"I'll duel him then." Meiga suggested with a shrug. "I've been bored this whole trip to be honest. If I win Konjiki picks the punishment and he gives up the deck. If he wins then it's case closed and we look into it further."

"You better win." Konjiki growled angrily at Meiga, apparently forgetting that he was his teacher.

"Right." Meiga said with a sick smile.

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Moments later the group was inside of a small room, just big enough for a duel. Ghost faced off against Meiga, determined to prove his innocence. "I will win!" he cried.

Ghost: 4000

Meiga: 4000

"I'll go first." Meiga said as he drew a card. "I play a monster face down, and two other cards face down. Turn end."

'He uses Worms.' Ghost thought quickly as he looked over his hand. 'Each one has a flip effect or an effect that triggers with other flip effects. That means the best way to win is to shut down those powers.' "My turn!" Ghost cried, bringing his hand to six. "I play two cards face down and summon Falcon of Mist Valley!" A wind surged as the warrior descended from the sky. She had short gray hair, tan skin, a dark green top with tight black shorts and a red ribbon skirt over it. She had a large shield on her left hand and a large blade in her right. The falcon part about her was the pair of falcon wings on her back. (2000/1200)

"I end my turn." Ghost finished.

"I flip up my Worm Cartaros (1200/0)!" A light brown monster revealed itself. It had a vertically placed mouth, long fingers, and it's back peeled to create two sets of moth-like wings. It's eyes were yellow with black sclera. "He allows me to add a four star or lower Worm monster from my deck to my hand." Meiga searched through and smiled. "Prepare, young thief, to face the power of my deck. I activate a trap card, Reptilian Pheromone!"

Meiga revealed his trap, showing a large orange worm monster sending out a thick orange gas that attracted more worms to it. "When a Worm monster is flipped up I may summon one Worm monster from my hand. I select my Worm Ugly (100/100)!" A large slime ball rose up from the ground. It oozed purple slime and was covered in lime green boils. It had a small sucker and two red eyes on it's body. It floated, the slime bubbling and the mouth sucking at the air.

"Ugly is right." Konjiki said, not hiding his disgust.

"Ew!" Thanatos agreed.

"Be quiet you golden moron, I'm helping you in this!" Meiga snapped angrily before turning back to ghost and smiling. "Now since this was a special summon I can still play a monster. I offer Worm Ugly to summon Worm Warlord!" The ball of puss exploded to reveal a dark orange creature. It's body was round, two arms on the top and bottom with two legs on the right and left. It had a mouth like the other Worms, though it was diagonal rather than vertical. It's eyes were diagonal as well, one top right and the other in the bottom left of it's face. (2350/1800)

"If your strategy is disturbing beyond all reason then you're doing a good job so far." Ghost muttered. He gasped when he saw Ugly surface on his side of the field.

"When Ugly is offered for a Worm monster I may summon him to your side of the field in attack mode!" Meiga cried triumphantly. "Warlord, attack Ugly!" Warlord screeched and charged at Ugly. He tore into the slimy creature, knocking Ghost over in the process.

Ghost: 1750

"Trap activate, Damage Condenser!" Ghost cried as he recovered. "I discard a card from my hand to summon a monster with equal or lower battle damage to the amount I took." Ghost removed his card and brought forth his new warrior. "Come forth Shaman of Mist Valley (1200/1200)!" In a whirlwind another monster appeared. Another girl, she wore tight black clothing that covered her upper face. She had bird-like claws and gray wings. A red eye was drawn onto the fold that covered her face.

"Pointless!" Meiga cried joyfully. "When Warlord destroys a monster he may attack once more! Go, attack with Reptilian Rampage!" Warlord shrieked and charged at the blonde girl.

"Trap activate, Battle Tuned!" Ghost cried. "When this card activates I may Synchro Summon a monster during the battle phase!" Shaman glowed and exploded into four green stars. Falcon jumped up, the stars lining up within here. Yellow rings appeared, forming around the warrior.

"Whisper on the gentle breeze. Howl in the furious hurricanes. Winds of mind and soul blow away those that oppose you! Synchro Summon! Crash down, Thunder Lord of Mist Valley!"

The rings filled with lightening and exploded, the lightening crashing down. A massive beast stood in front of Ghost. He was golden, with his stomach purple with red markings. He had black raven wings and sharp bird claws and talons. He carried a large dagger, the hand and guard mechanical with the yellow blade shaped like lightening. He had red bone around his eyes, the eyes themselves glowing like lightening. (2600/2400)

"Amazing!" Thanatos cried, clapping excitedly.

"Indeed." Zane said blankly.

"Damn it." Meiga cursed. "Turn end."

"And turn begin." Ghost said with a smile. "I play two cards face down and summon my Thunder Bird of Mist Valley (1100/700)!" In a small crash of lightening a lime green bird appeared on the field. It had ornate lightening shaped tail feathers, with spiky feathers that rimmed it's eyes. "Now Thunder Lord allows me to return on card I own to it's owner's hand to gain 500 attack." The bird glowed, turning into lightening that covered the Thunder Lord.

"However, when the Thunder Bird is returned to my hand I may special summon him back to the field." The bird returned as if nothing happened, but the Thunder Lord kept his charged. "Go! Attack Cartaros with Lightening Squall!" Thunder Lrod roared, sending his claws forward and filling Cartaros with lightening. He exploded, blasting Meiga back a bit and damaging his life points.

Meiga: 2000

"Damn you, you little neophyte!" Meiga roared angrily. "I refuse to allow a student to harm me so! I planned on going easy on you, but no more! When your turn ends Thunder Lord weakens, giving me my chance." Thunder Lord did indeed loose his glowing aura as Meiga drew his card. "I activate Limb Regeneration! By paying 500 life points I may summon a Worm in my grave. Welcome back Ugly." The ball of slime returned slowly to the field, the body bubbling and oozing.

"Next up, I summon my Worm King! By offering a Worm he can be summoned with one monster!" Worm Ugly swelled up, Ghost backing away in surprise. It exploded, covering the other monsters in slime. Standing in it's place was a large orange Worm centaur. It's lower body had a large mouth with eyes, while it's head was smaller with small horns. It's lower body was covered in spines and it's back had several horns. Worm Ugly reformed on Ghost's field.

"No!" Ghost cried fearfully. 'He changed strategies!' he thought frantically. 'He hardly used any flips at all!'

"Worm King, attack Ugly with Royal Slime!" Worm King roared as it's lower mouth unleashed a green slime that destroyed Ugly and knocked Ghost down in it's torrent. Ghost watched his life points tumble down quickly.

Ghost: 0

"I lost." Ghost said in shock. "I'm going to be expelled."

"Serves you right thief!" Konjiki snapped angrily. "Now tell me where you hid my deck!"

"Everyone!" a familiar voice cried. The group turned to see Haseo running into the room. He stopped and began panting in front of them. "I heard, huff, about, huff, the duel!"

"Too late." Ghost sighed sadly. "I lost."

"No!" Haseo cried fearfully. "Oh no this is my fault!"

"What do you mean?" Zane asked curiously.

"Konjiki-san allowed me to use his room to take a nap so others wouldn't ask me to duel them." Haseo explained. "After I woke up I left the room in a hurry to pack and I think I may have left the door open."

"Oh, so that's how he got in." Meiga mused, glancing at Ghost.

"I swear I didn't!" Ghost cried.

"Wait a minute!" Haseo cried. "I saw someone!" The group fell silent and looked at him again. "After leaving I saw a student walking past me. He had black hair, he was an Obelisk Blue, he had pale skin, and he was coughing a bit."

"I ran into him!" Ghost cried, remembering the boy. "I forgot in all of the excitement and fear but I think I ran into the boy you're talking about!"

"Pale, Obelisk Blue, and coughing a lot." Zane muttered to himself thoughtfully. "Umehito." He realized. "He's supposedly a genius but he's very sickly. He transferred here from East Academy."

"Could he have stolen my deck?" Konjiki asked curiously.

"Of course! I knew Ghost wouldn't!" Thanatos cried.

In a few minutes the group was in Umehito's room. "I have no idea what you are talking about!" he cried before coughing violently. "I've never seen any of you before. I went to bed last night early because I wasn't feeling well. I have no idea who Haseo or Konjiki are!"

"Then what's this?" Haseo asked a she picked a deck up from the bedside table. He flipped through it and smiled. "Batteryman AA." He said, spreading the cards out to show Konjiki's deck.

"No." Umehito gasped.

Konjiki cried out and took the deck form Haseo. He hugged the younger boy closer to him. "Thank you so much man!" he cried tearfully. "This deck was my grandmothers. She used to be the Lightening Queen, a famous duelist. She gave this deck to me for her tenth birthday right before she died." Konjiki tearfully hugged Haseo, Haseo gasping for air but hugging back all the same.

"No problem." He squeaked as Zane and Meiga took the protesting Umehito out of the room to discuss punishment.

"It was a problem man!" Konjiki cried. He turned to ghost and smiled apologetically at him. "I am so sorry dude." He said. "I almost got you demoted or something!"

"It's no problem, really." Ghost answered, just hoping for the whole situation to be over with. Konjiki turned to Haseo and smiled again.

"We're friends form now on." He said warmly. "Consider you my new best friend, period. If you ever need anything just tell me and I'll make it happen." Haseo smiled and motioned for Konjiki to follow him out of the room. Konjiki picked his bag up and did, following the younger boy out.

"Funny you should say that." Haseo said with a small smile. "I've been looking for a few helpers and honestly I thought you would be the perfect first member."


End file.
